


Second Chances at First Impressions

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Series: Soulmate Dreams [29]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M, Minor Violence, On BOTH SIDES, Soulmate AU, bad behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 01:09:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11116719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: Paul's working on getting his skating friendships back into shape after breaking up with Christophe.  He's good with Yuuri and Phichit, but things are still a little weird with Chris and Viktor.  Meeting his soulmate should help with Viktor, and possibly with Chris, right?Nope.  Meeting his soulmate is not going to help at all.





	Second Chances at First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a comment joke but the idea wouldn't leave me alone. This is not canon for the main 'verse.
> 
> If you keep up with the main story, you probably don't need these notes, but just in case/for new readers:
> 
> Paul is an American skater with Celestino Cialdini. He dated Christophe for a few months when they were both seventeen. They broke up when Paul started getting jealous of Chris's friendships with Yuuri and Viktor. After some time to reflect, Paul decided he'd been wrong and started working to reestablish his friendships.
> 
> Rykov is a Russian skater who feels that Yuuri stole his chance to skate for Yakov Feltsman, and that the only reason Yakov took Yuuri was because he's Viktor's soulmate. He's said some very rude things about Yuuri to the press and pulled some head games with Yuuri during competitions trying to beat him. (Nothing major, just some trash talk and a surprise quad.)

It was considered slightly unusual to punch your soulmate in the face the first time you met them in your dream. In this case, Paul felt it was justified as he shook out his hand.

Rykov rubbed his jaw. “Ow. What was that for?”

“That was because you’re an obnoxious little twit. My friendships with Yuuri and Viktor and Chris are shaky enough already, I don't need this.”

“Oh. You’re friends with Yuuri.” Rykov picked up a rock and threw it. “So, what, him stealing my coach wasn’t enough? He’s gotta steal my soulmate, too? He doesn’t even want you.”

“And what, you think being an obnoxious little shit is the way to make me pick you instead?”

Rykov shrugged and picked up another rock. “You just said you don’t want me as your soulmate because it’ll mess up your friendship with Yuuri. I can’t exactly leave, so what do you want me to do?”

“How about you drop the attitude and introduce yourself? I don’t even know you beyond the statements you’ve made about my friend.”

“Right, because a punch to the face makes me feel like opening up. But sure! My name’s Valery Olegovich Rykov, call me Valera, I’m fifteen, I’ll turn sixteen in August, I like skating and dogs and working in my garden.” Well, that explained why they were in a garden, then. Paul had always enjoyed helping his mom and dad with their garden, too. “My older sister just got married but I couldn’t go to the wedding because I was in Sheffield, I have a younger brother who was my best friend until I left to train with Karl and I never get to see him anymore, and do you actually give a damn about anything I’ve said?” Paul was going to respond, but Rykov cut him off. “Wait, you probably care about the sixteen in August. The 14th, to be specific, so you know when I’m going to find out about this and you can hit me for real when I come looking for you.”

“I’m not going to…” Paul threw up his hands. “Fine. Be like that. See you in two and a half years.”

Rykov dropped his rock. “What, I don’t get to know anything about you?”

“Like you’d remember anyway. You’re not even going to remember that I hit you.”

“Which means no warning in two and a half years. Hardly seems fair.”

“In two and a half years, maybe you’re no longer a whiny little twit and I won’t want to hit you.”

 

Paul woke up in the morning still feeling somewhat angry at everything. He picked up his phone and texted Viktor.

_I really do not care what my soulmate has to say about me dating Chris. Or anyone I date in the next couple years. It’s Rykov._

**_You’re dating Rykov? Ew!_ **

_No, Rykov’s my soulmate._

No answer. Good. Paul hoped it kicked Viktor right in his sanctimonious nuts. He got up and got dressed for a quiet day off. He was settling in for a James Bond marathon when he heard his phone go off.

**_He trains in Moscow. My sister lives there, she’s willing to meet you at the airport and help you get around until you find him._ **

_Are you seriously telling me to go find him? I thought you hated him?_

**_He’s not my soulmate, I don’t have to like him. Try to get him to behave himself if you bring him to hang out with me or Yuuri._ **

Paul shook his head and set the phone aside. He did not understand Viktor Nikiforov or how Yuuri and Chris put up with him.

 

Not going to Rykov strained Paul’s friendship with Viktor, but Yuuri was just as much his friend as ever, and Paul managed to repair his friendship with Chris. Rykov had moved up to seniors with Yuuri, so there was no avoiding him, but Paul could keep his distance.

The Grand Prix after Rykov turned eighteen, they’d both drawn Skate America. Paul braced himself. Rykov had settled down some, he wasn’t a total bag of dicks anymore, but it was probably going to be super awkward. At least Yuuri and Viktor weren’t there.

Rykov approached him after practice on the first day. “Hey. I was gonna wait and talk to you after the free skate so I wouldn’t mess you up, but you looked kind of distracted already. May as well get it over with.”

“Hi. Go get lunch?”

Rykov shrugged. “Sure.”

The walk to the restaurant was silent, and things remained awkwardly quiet while they ate. Rykov was the one to break the silence. “Okay, this is stupid, just sitting here and not talking about this. You wouldn’t talk to me much in my dream, so I’m guessing your dream was pretty damn horrible.”

“Yeah, no kidding… although it wasn’t all your fault. I didn’t give you much of a chance to talk.” In retrospect, maybe punching Rykov before getting to know him had been a bad move. There would have been plenty of time to punch him after, if he still wanted to.

“Are you going to give me a chance now?”

“Depends. The bad blood between you and Yuuri’s worse now than it was then, are you going to have a problem with me and him being friends?”

“I’m not going to be his friend, but I don’t give a fuck if you are or not. Not my place to say who you can be friends with. I’ll behave myself if you want to invite him when you’re hanging out with me, or invite me when you’re hanging out with him and Viktor, if he will. I don’t really hate him like I pretend to for the public. Not anymore.”

“You don’t?”

“Nah. It gives the media a storyline to work with, which gets me into the media more, which gets me more sponsorship opportunities.”

“That makes sense, I guess." Rykov had grown up. Some. Enough? Only one way to find out. "Okay. I’ll give you a chance.”


End file.
